Djamel Belmadi
DOHA: When seasoned coach Djamel Belmadi puts his mind to something, he usually gets it done. After guiding Al Duhail to the QNB Stars League title win on Friday, the rather strict-looking Belmadi now wants his side to remain unbeaten until the end of the season.
Out of 20 matches in the 2017-18 season, Al Duhail have won 17. The other three matches were drawn as Al Duhail clinched the ‘Falcon Shield’ for the sixth time in the last eight years on Friday. It was the first title win for newly-named Al Duhail who pocketed the previous five titles as Lekhwiya.
“We still have two matches to go - against Al Markhiya and Al Sailiya. Our first target was to win the league which we have done. Our second target is to end the season without any loss,” Belmadi said after watching his side crush Al Kharaitiyat 5-0 on Friday.
“I think it can be achieved and I feel it is incredible to win a league without having lost a game. We have to be at our best in the remaining matches as well,” Belmadi added.
“Before entering our match, we knew the situation really well. We were a motivated bunch before starting play,” Belmadi said.
“Throughout the season, the senior players stood up and delivered in such a positive way. We got some really good results. We did not lose a single match,” he added.
“For us to do well in such a precious championship is a pleasing feeling,” Belmadi said.
With two rounds to go, Al Duhail have 54 points while second-placed Al Sadd have a tally of 46. Third-placed Al Rayyan have 39 points while Al Gharafa have 32.
Belmadi said winning the title was an exciting journey for him and his players.
“It was a long assignment and there were many big-pressure matches along the way. We faced many difficulties. There were exciting battles as well. The one match that comes to mind is the clash against Al Sadd,” the Algerian said.
When asked about his players, Belmadi said: “This team has the nucleus of a very good team. The players showed great levels of fight. Young players like Al Moez Ali,
Bassam Hisham and Adel Badr showed a lot of character. They worked hard. They are the future of the club and they know the aims and ambitions of this club.”
Belmadi was well served by strikers Youssef El Arabi who struck 24 goals while team-mate Youssef Msakni found the net 23 times.
Belmadi said the team will continue to challenge for trophies.
“We have won the League. We have won the Emir Cup. We have won the Qatar Cup. Certainly this team has the potential to keep winning titles and we will continue to do so,” Belmadi said.
“We will continue to work hard. We may not have a huge player base but we have players with special set of skills.
“Winning the league with matches to spare gives us the change to test a number of younger players in the remaining part of the league,” Belmadi said.
Al Duhail team manager Ismael Ahmed said: “We thank God for this title win. This is our first win after being named Al Duhail. We successfully defended our title. Al Duhail deserved this win. We did not lose any matches and played the difficult ones with courage.”
He added: “The players will be more comfortable in the upcoming period after winning the league title. We are in front of everybody else. We will turn our focus to Qatar Cup and the Emir Cup. We will continue to seek challenges and to win trophies.”
Al Duhail will now travel to Tashkent for their AFC Champions League Group B clash against Lokomotiv.
